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Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
 
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Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel [Paperback]

Rolf Potts (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)

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Customers buy this book with The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content. $12.87

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Veteran vagabond Potts regales readers with his mantra: anyone with an adventurous spirit can achieve the feat of taking extended time off from work to experience the world. In 11 short chapters that follow the same structure, Potts tells how to negotiate time off from work, prepare for travel, and get the most out of your time on the road. Each chapter contains a profile of a famous proponent of vagabonding (e.g., Thoreau, Annie Dillard), quotes from everyday people with extensive travel experience, and a tip sheet of print and online sources for practical travel advice on topics such as airline tickets and accommodations as well as safety concerns. Alternately warning readers about using drugs in foreign countries and entertaining them with anecdotes from exotic ports of call, Potts gives a thorough recounting of his outlook on traveling. This book seems squarely aimed at twenty- and thirtysomethings; anyone with decidedly nonvagabond accoutrements (e.g., children or career ambition) might be more skeptical of Potts' philosophy. For those with a bad case of wanderlust. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Vagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Rolf Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Potts gives the necessary information on:

• financing your travel time
• determining your destination
• adjusting to life on the road
• working and volunteering overseas
• handling travel adversity
• re-assimilating back into ordinary life

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Villard Books; 1st edition (December 24, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0812992180
  • ISBN-13: 978-0812992182
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #1 in  Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Tips
    #1 in  Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Reference

More About the Author

Rolf Potts
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Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
68% buy the item featured on this page:
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel 4.4 out of 5 stars (80)
$10.20
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$12.87
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Customer Reviews

80 Reviews
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 (50)
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 (19)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (80 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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101 of 104 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars great little travel philosophy book, July 14, 2003
By Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Paperback)
Rolf Potts' tome of vagabonding is an inspirational work rather than a practical guide. While the same practical information is contained in other books, this book shines in the area of travel philosophy. Travel is like a religion, where some people are incredibly fervent about it, while others just don't understand. This book makes you realize that long-term travel is not only possible, but desirable and worthwhile.

I particularly liked the section on working for travel. As a 9-to-5 worker planning a long-term trip, I needed the inspiration to keep going. I liked being told that working will actually make me appreciate travel more. After all, to afford travel, I have to be here anyway.

Throughout the book, there are great little excerpts from famous travellers, philosophers, and explorers, as well as anecdotes from ordinary travellers. Rolf has a particular liking for Walt Whitman, and I may just have to go pick up some Walt poetry now. The literary references in this book let you know that world travel and a simple life aren't new concepts.

The only problem I see with this book is that it may soon become dated with its references to specific websites.

The book is of a small and convenient size to take on the road.

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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, June 23, 2003
This review is from: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Paperback)
The hardest part of world travel is acquiring the mindset that nothing else matters as much as the journey. Getting to a place where you reduce your consumption of unnecessary stuff, commit your time, and leave your daily routine behind takes a fair amount of work, and it also takes a major shift in priorities. Vagabonding serves as the kick-start that gets you to that mental place --the "I can do it, and I can do it soon" reply to the siren call of world travel.

This book is inspiring, clear, and helpful. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to roam, but thinks they don't have enough money or time. I also recommend it for those, like me, who have gone vagabonding before, know what it takes, and just need a nudge of renewal in order to get back out there again. Great book!

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy Class Meets the Road, September 18, 2003
This review is from: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Paperback)
This book is essentially about the thought process behind taking time off from your regular life to discover and experience the world on your own terms. If you've been around the world a few times, you'll find it puts many of your fuzzy warm thoughts and ideals into words. If you haven't, it'll probably make you wonder why you haven't taken off already.

People who like to plan and be prepared should treat this as a companion to more nuts-and-bolts guides. Others may find this plenty since travel is all an adventure anyway. It depends on your personality and comfort with the unknown. The rarely expressed aspect of Potts' book, however, is the acknowledgement that both work and travel are admirable and that one complements the other. To travel, you must also be productive sometimes. But to be productive, you also have to continually learn and see other points of view. Traveling abroad on more than a one-week vacation makes this possible. An entertaining and inspiring read.

Tim Leffel, author of THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST DESTINATIONS

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The heart and soul of travel books
Don't expect lists of places to go or things to see. Don't expect packing lists or product recommendations. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Tobias Falzone

5.0 out of 5 stars This Idea Might Help You Finance a "Vagabond" Lifestyle.
To be honest, I haven't read this book, but I wanted to share an idea that I had about a week ago.

If you look on ebay, they have something called "ebay mobile"... Read more
Published 9 days ago by AL

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: may induce uncontrollable shoestring travel
This may be the most condensed book of travel wisdom I've ever read.

Prior to my post-college backpacking trip I heard all manner of naysayers decry such exploits as... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Regan Cannon

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Travelers/Tourist
This book is packed with tons of useful information for first time travelers. From safety tips, to planning your first vagabonding experience, down to the best place to eat in a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by NC

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 stars because after three years, I'm still thinking about it!
If Mr. Potts had come from a family with more money, he'd be a libertine instead of a travel writer with a bone to pick with "trustafarians". Read more
Published 3 months ago by urban primate

5.0 out of 5 stars great book on long term travel
the author is a good writer and knows what he is talking about when it comes to long-term travel... a lot of what he did/said resonanted with my own experiences abroad and within... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ian Eyberg

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reading all these five star reviews, I had high expectations from this book. I am an experienced backpacker, there was almost nothing new to me in this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chen Tishler

4.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for getting into that frame of mind.
I bought this book and I'm about halfway through and loving it! This definitely isn't an in-depth approach to traveling long-term so don't buy it thinking it is. Read more
Published 5 months ago by David Morales

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok
I had hoped this book would blow me away with wonderful ideas and new insights, but the majority of the stuff I already knew or didn't really care about. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lady Loo

4.0 out of 5 stars More why than how
Honestly, the title "Vagabonding" nearly made me not read this book, when I came across it searching for literature on sabbaticals. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Marcus Schuetz

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